Is a change on the horizon?
Facebook may soon be joining tech companies like Groupon, Survey Monkey, and Twitter by adding their first Black woman to their board of directors. On May 30, the popular social media company will nominate, Peggy Alford for election to the board during its annual meeting
Fortune 500 and 100 boards saw an increase of Black female board members by 26.2 percent between 2012 and 2018, according to data from the Deloitte Missing Pieces Report. The lack of diversity in Silicon Valley goes far beyond the entry-level and C-Suite roles. Tech’s prestigious companies are also receiving pressure to diversify their board of directors. Just last year the Congressional Black Caucus and Rev. Jesse Jackson called for the immediate need to add people of color to its board which resulted in Kenneth Chenault’s nomination
If the vote sways in her favor, Alford could become the first African-American woman and second African-American to join Facebook’s board of directors. It will also mean that Facebook would meet its deadline to put a third woman on its board of directors by 2021 stated by a new law in California requiring companies with six or more board members to have at least three female directors.